Shoe stitcher



' April 30, 1935. E, G, WOLF 1,999,679

SHOE STITCHER Original Filed Dec. 7, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 3U, 1935. E. G. WOLF 1,999,679

SHOE STITCHER Original Filed Dec. 7, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 E, G. WOLF SHOE STITCHER `pril 39, R935.

Original Filed Dec. '7, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE Machine Company, St. Louis,

tion of Missouri Mo., ar corpora- Original application December 7, 1931, Serial No. 579,610. Divided and this application July 2, 1932, Serial No. 620,660

Claims.

The invention relates to shoe stitchers of the lock stitch McKay type in which the shoe supporting horn has a thread passing upwardly therethrough to the horn anvil and the needle and associated mechanism above the horn. The invention consists in novel and useful structure controlling the supply of thread through the anvil, and the present application constitutes a division of applicants copending application Serial No. 579,610, filed December '7, 1931.

One object of the invention is to provide simple and effective thread lock and take up elements in the body of the horn together with suitable operating mechanism therefor locatedY adjacent to the horn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a suitable thread measuring device associated with the take up and thread lock elements.

Another object of the invention is to free the thread from the control of the take up, lock and measuring mechanism when it is desired to pull thread through the horn, for example, when the operator wishes to withdraw the work from the machine.

An incidental object of the invention is to provide novel structure for controlling the amount of thread supplied through the horn by the thickness of the work supported by the horn.

Otherr detail objects of the invention will be referred to in the `detail description based upon the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is in part a front elevation of the horn, its support and associated structure of a McKay lock stitch machine, a portion of the horn being sectioned for better illustration of the parts contained therein.

Figure la is a large scale shown in Figure 1.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same structure with parts broken away.

FigureZa is a side elevation of the presser foot cooperating with the horn and the elements connecting the presser foot'to the mechanism associated with the horn,

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a transverse line 9 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 2.

The body of the machine frame is indicated at I and brackets 2, 3, and 4 are rigid therewith and serve as supports for various operating parts.

V The horn 5 has a base 5a supported by a bearing seated in the upper face of bracket 3 and a detail of a cam part section taken on the tubular shaft 'I is secured to the horn base and extends downwardly through bracket 3, and the horn is freely rotatable with this shaft about the axis of the latter. The horn thread L passes upwardly from a spool (not shown) through the wax pot 8, a stripper 9, about a tension wheel it, over guide rolls II, between which it is` engaged by a measuring hook I2, and then enters a hol low tube I3 which extends upwardly into the horn, the thread emerging from the upper end of the tube and passing over a locking roller It, guide rollers I5, there being a tension roller I6 between them, the upper roller I'I, then downwardly over the take up roller I8, and then'upwardly to the usual whirl (not shown), located in the tip of the horn, which serves to lay the thread over the barb of the needle I9 during each cycle of operations of the machine. p

'Ihe locking lever 20 is pivoted on the horn at ZI and its upper tip 22 is thrust against the thread on locking roller I4 bya spring 23 which thrusts outwardly on a collar 24 adjustably mounted on rod 25 attached to the lower end of lever 20.

'I'he thread locking lever 20 is moved to lift its tip 22 from the thread by movement of a cam 26 on the take up lever 2'! pivoted at P.V The face of cam 26 is eccentric with the pivot P, as best shown inFigure la.' The cam 26 engages roller 28 on the locking lever and rotation of the cam to the position shown in Figure la moves lever '29 to release the thread from tip 22. Take up lever 21 is operated by a cam 29, mounted on the main shaft 30 of the machine and oscillating a bell crank 3I, the horizontal arm of which terminates in a fork 32 supporting a collar 33 slidable on the horn shaft 'I and rotatable therewith, there being a bar 35 exteriorly of shaft l but interiorly of the horn supporting bracket and extending upwardly from collar 33 to the lower arm of a bell crank like element 36 pivoted at 31 on horn base 6. The upper arm of the bell crank reciprocates a block 38 in the forked arm of the take-up lever 2 and thereby oscillates the latter about its pivot.

When lever 21 is raised, it gives up slack in the thread and also, at its uppermost position, releases lock 22 permitting the needle to draw thread freely through the work. As lever 27 descends, the tension between the work and the upper portion of the thread results in the take up roller drawing in the slack in the lower portion of the thread which has been provided by the thread measuring mechanism (to be described). After this slack has been drawn in, the cam 29 permits the locking lever to lower against the thread and further descent of the take up lever draws in the slack in the upper portion of the thread and pulls the stitch tight in the work.

The thread measuring hook I2 pivots on a pin 45 journalled in an arm 4I depending from the forward portion of the bracket 3. Pin 40 and hook I2 are oscillated from a cam 42 on the main shaft 30 through an articulated structure comprising a member 43 pivoted at 44 on the bracket 4 and slidably mounting an element 45 which pivotally mounts (at 49) a combined lever and vthrust bar 46 connected to pin 40 by crank 4'?.

Cam 42 oscillates member 43 through the cam roller 48, which oscillation reciprocates bar 45 lengthwise and the hook I2'. The extent of longitudinal movement of bar 45 and the degree of oscillation of hook I2 is controlled by the height of element 45 in member 43V as the nearer bar pivot 49 is to the member ulcrum 44 the less distance the bai` will reciprocate and vice versa. The farther bar 45 and hook I2 travel the more thread will be drawn from the supply by the hook with each oscillation of the hook.

The height of element 45 in member 43 is d,.- termined by rod Econnected to the rear end of bar 46 and to the rear endv of the presser foot lever 5I pivoted on bracket 2 and positioned by the presser foot bar 52, the position of which in turn is controlled by the height of the presseil foot 53 resting on the work. Accordingly any variations in the thickness of the work will shift elements 52, 5 I, 50, 46 and 45 to vary the reciprocal movement of bar 46 by cam 42.

The thread locking lever 2i) and the tension wheel I5 and the presser foot 53 may be rendered inoperative temporarily at will to permit the work to be moved freely from the machine at any point in the cycle of operations. The release of the pressure on the work and the positive thread'lcck and the thread tension is effected by the manual depression of rod 54 preferably having an ordinary treadle (not shown) attached to its lower end. The upper end of rod 54 is connected to a lever 55 pivoted at 5&5 and having downwardly facing bosses 51 and 58'. Boss 51 engages an adjustable set screw 59 in one endv of a lever 6I) pivoted at 6I. The other end of the lever may engage the lower end of tube I3 to elevate the same. The upper end of tube I3 abuts the lower face of a lug 52 on lockinglever 20 and serves to raise the same to release the thread.'l

A set screw 53 extends through boss 58 on lever 55 and engages a pad E4 on the outer end of barv 46 to thereby depress `rod 50, lsecured to bar 46, which will rotate lever 5I and elevate the presser foot 53. A lug on rod 54 is'positioned to engage one end 65 of a lever ulcrumed at 5T and having its other end 68 shaped to engage the lower end of a lever 69, connected to a collar C frictionally engaging the tension wheel, so that elevation of lever end 68 moves lever 5S' to the right against the thrust of spring IIJ and releases the tension on the thread L whereby the latter may be freely drawn through the horn and associated mechanism at such times as desirable, for instance, when the operator is removing the work from the machine and desires to provide a substantial length of thread at Ythe needle and horn tip for cutting the thread.

It is obvious that a machine utilizing a combi'- nation of levers, cams, links, etc., in the manner described above is susceptible to many variations in its detail structure without departing from the principles of operation and applicant contemplates the exclusive use of Vthose modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a machine of the class described, an upright rotatable shaft, a work supporting horn rotatable with said shaft and having said shaft as a journal and including a base extending laterally beyond said shaft, an upright bar located exteriorly of said shaft and projecting through said base, automatic means for reciprocating said bar, means for guiding a thread through said horn to a whirl at the upper end of said horn, and a thread take-up member mounted in said' horn and operated by said bar.

2. In a machine of the class described, a mechanism comprising a horn, means for supplying thread through the anvil of said horn, a thread measuring device and a take up member, said device comprising av pivoted hook for engaging the thread, a reciprocating bar for oscillating said hook, automatic means for actuating said bar, and an adjustable-connection between said means and bar for varying the movement of said bar.

3. In a machine of the class described, a mechanism comprising a horn, means for supplying thread through the anvil of said horn, a thread measuring device and a take up member, said device comprising a pivoted hook for engaging the thread, a reciprocating bar for oscillating said hook, a rotatable cam, a pivoted lever oscillated about its pivot by said cam, and a connection between said bar and said lever, said connection being slidable along said lever to vary theY reciprocal movement of said bar by said lever.

4. A machine as described in claim 3 which also includes a presser foot and a linkage between said presser foot and said bar serving toshiftthe connection between said barand lever longitudinally of the latter according to the height of said presser foot above the horn anvil.

5. In a machine of the class described, an upper mechanism including a needle and a presser foot, a lower mechanism including a horn and a thread measuring element, a crank for operating said element, a connecting rod for operating said crank, a lever having a xed pivot, a connection between said rod and said lever slidable along said lever, a fixed throw cam for moving saidlever, and a connection between said rod and said presser foot for varying the distance between said connection and the pivot of said lever according to the position of said presser foot.

6. In a machine of the class described, a rotatable work supporting horn containing a thread take-up member and a thread lock structure actuated thereby, a stationary bracket upon which said horn is mounted, reciprocating mechanism mounted on said bracket, and a rotatable and reciprocating device between said mechanism and said take-up member and lock structure for operating the latter.

7. In a machine of the class described, a work supporting horn mounted to rotate about an axial shaft, a thread take-up member and a thread lock mechanism in said horn' said memberv operatively engaging said mechanism, abar for actuating said member and lock mechanism, said bar extending through the base of said horn and spaced substantially from the axis of said shaft, a member slidable on said shaft below said horn and rotatable with the latter and connected to v supporting rotatable horn, a thread take-up device contained therein and including a thread locking lever, a stationary bracket upon which said horn is mounted and manually operable mechanism on said bracket having a connection to said locking lever whereby the thread may be released at any point in the cycle of operations of the machine.

9. In a machine of the class described, a stationary bracket, a work supporting horn rotatably mounted on said bracket and containing a take-up device and a locking lever for engaging the thread passing through the horn, a machine head above said horn and bracket, a presser foot mounted on said head for clamping work against said horn and manually operable means for simultaneously releasing the pressure of said presser foot from said horn and the pressure of said locking lever from the horn thread.

10. In a machine of the class described, a shoe supporting horn, a thread take-up device including a take-up lever located in said horn and pivoted adjacent one side of the horn and extending across the same, a thread lock element adjacent the lever pivot, a thread engaging element on the outer end of said lever, take-up operating mechanism outside of the horn, and a connection between said mechanism and said take-up lever extending into the lower end of the horn and connected to said lever;

11. In a machine of the class described, a work supporting horn, a take-up lever pivoted in said horn and including a thread guiding element, a thread locking lever having a part opposing said guiding element, and a reciprocating member operatively connected to said take-up lever, there being a cam on said take-up lever for moving said locking lever part away from said guiding element.

12. In a machine of the class described, a work supporting horn, a take-up lever pivoted in said horn and including a thread engaging roller, the axis of said roller coinciding with the pivot of said lever, a thread lock lever with a part opposed to said roller, and means on said take-up lever for moving said thread lock lever part away from said roller during a portion of the movement of said take-up lever.

13. In a machine of the class described, a thread measuring device comprising thread guide rollers, a hook arranged to engage the thread between said rollers, a bar connected to said hook, means reciprocating said bar longitudinally to oscillate said hook and means moving said bar transversely to determine the length of its reciprocal movement.

14. In a machine of the class described, a work supporting horn, a take-up lever pivoted in said horn and including a thread-engaging surface, a thread lock member opposed to said surface, and means on said lever for moving said member away from said surface during a portion of the movement of said lever.

15. In a machine of the class described, a work supporting horn, an upright bar projecting through the base of said horn, automatic means for reciprocating said bar, means for guiding a thread through said horn to a Whirl at the upper end thereof, a thread lock member and a thread take-up member each pivoted in said horn, interengaging elements on said take-up member and said lock member and on said take-up member and said bar whereby upward movement of the latter moves said take-up member to give up thread to the needle and to release said lock and downward movement of said bar moves said takeup member to lock applying position and then to take up slack in the thread between said lock member and the stitch.

EUGENE G. WOLF. 

